Needing some new foes to paint more skulls on the side of his shoulder to show off the babes with his skeleton moves? Or has he brooded over a cauldron for more UPGRADES? }:)

TT

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Khan,Clan Iron DolphinAzeroth PocketverseThat is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units. ~ Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013TT, we know you are the master of nasty O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force. I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid ~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016

Stalemate - there is no other word for it. It's been almost a month and the lines have barely moved. Oh, every day or two we will have a dust up - a patrol will meet the bad guys. Two or three of our guys will die in an ambush. Three hours later, we'll creep up and knock out a Blakist machine gun nest.Then some Mechs will blast a building and claim a couple BA suits knocked out.Yeah... stalemate. I read some Terran history about their huge wars before fushion ... this sounds exactly like that. Miles of trenches, pillboxes and constant sniping.We are dug in around New Aberdeen, actually... a satellite suburbs called Penrith outside the main city. His long can this go on? Who knows?What do I know? I know this cellar we took over can withstand everything up about Sniper shells - they hit us constantly.I know the Colonel is always there when we need Mech support - his big grey Marauder II with the broken broadswords in its hull.I know I'm down to about three clips for this TK rifle because they've not resupplied us in almost a week.- Corporal Isaiah Hannick, Cavalli’s Cavaliere 1st Infantry Platoon

INTERVIEWER: Now, start from the top Ching. Tell us where you joined up.

SUBJECT (yelling): You son of a bitch! There was no reason to do that! You bastards already know all this! You piece of-

SCREAMS

INTERVIEWER: Look, kid. Shut up. Tell us again. The guys who worked you over earlier were Lyran bully boys. We are ROM - or what's left of ROM. You will tell us everything. There no middle ground, no hiding. Only you, me and that wire taped around your balls.Now... when did you join the Blakists?

SUBJECT: all... al... alRight. When Saiph joined the Protectorate I was 21 and had just flunked out of university. I did a couple temp jobs and then got drafted into the Protectorate Militia. I was a rifleman for a year and then got promoted to assistant section leader. My hitch was up, not long after but a recruiter asked if I wanted to stay or maybe even join with the Word Militia. I looked at the options - I had no qualifications and my mum is a 75-year-old widow. So I went Word.

INTERVIEWER: where were you trained?

SUBJECT: I did four weeks on Saiph in the capital - most of us were Protectorate vets. Then to Mars in the Terran system for two months of advanced stuff. That was something else. Terra on weekend passes.Then New Earth for awhile and then onto Lyran space to meet up with the Eighteenth. Most of the infantry seemed to be new guys drawn from the Protectorate.

INTERVIEWER: Ok, now tell me-

SUBJECT: way I hear it, Blakist warships are coming back around the planet. You people are cooked! You're fuc-

SCREAMS

INTERVIEWER: that will be enough, Ching.

We lost Dexter Liu today. He's dead, Homer Erbe's dispossessed and half our hovertanks are scrap. But we held. Two Level IIs used the Aberdeen River to sneak up on us, walking slowly along the bottom.They came boiling out near the ruins of the old Joan Sutherland-Steiner Opera House while a mess of hovers came skimming in. They overwhelmed the Lyran positions and we had to scramble fast.I took Command and Battle lances out to assist as they hit our light elements. But the Blakist arty was everywhere and things quickly descended into a series of point blank brawls amid the ruins.

I gutted a Grand Crusader in among a gutted factory and then called in for,arty support. The unit advanced almost into the teeth of the bombardment and forced the Robes back.Three hours of hit and run and constant contact and we got the call: fall back and get ready to boost. We are being pulled back to New Glasgow. My men payed in bloody for ground we're now leaving to the Robes.- Felix Cavalli

Logged

"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

The camera shows a young soldier wearing a motley collection of clothing and equipment - black Lyran body armour over fatigues that were standard AFFS woodland camo pattern in 3050. A standard issue Lyran helmet and a TK assault rifle over his shoulder.He's wearing what looks like a civilian parka lined with the dark fur of some beast.

Behind the trooper snow covers the ground and leafless trees. An Atlas and Orion stand among the trees - both painted black with garish skeleton's bones motifs.

REPORTER: Corporal, can you tell us about today?

HANNICK: today I finally did what I've been training my whole life for. When my kids ask me what I did in the war, this day will feature. Our unit helped Devlin Stone and his Lament meet the Blakists head on and smash their teeth in.

REPORTER: Two days ago the Word shifted all their efforts for a massive assault on New Glasgow, in orbit we have heard reports they similarly threw everything at Clan Wolf warships protecting the planet.

HANNICK: Yeah. And here in the New Tote Forest we stopped 'em cold.

REPORTER: and now?

HANNICK: now we do it all again.

REPORTER: You're in possibly the bloodiest war zone in the Inner Sphere. You bloodied the Robes today, assaulting directly into their advance. Are you afraid?

HANNICK: Lady, are you crazy? Yeah... I'm... yeah. I can hear their bombs going off from here. Half my squad is dead or wounded. For fu- you're going to ask me that? Of course, I'm afraid. We are done here.

We are throwing everything against the Robes. We shifted from New Aberdeen and I'll admit I was pissed. Now that city and the Cyclops plant are held by the Word.But the fight for New Glasgow is now desperate. We got dropped into the middle of the New Tote Forest - interestingly, the biggest public forest on Skye. The forest Primeval is owned by the duke himself and off limits to the public.We dug in while the 3rd Skye Guards took most of the punishment and then finally got the word to counter attack, along with Stone's battalion and the Wolf in Exile troops. We hit them hard and just kept going. Those 3rd Division troops were good but they clearly didn't expect to be punched so hard straight down the nose.

That Stone... you have to hand it to him. He leads from the front.

- Felix Cavalli

June 22, 3074

Knight lead is down!

Knight two: This is two, say again, Knight lead is down. Request CASAVAC right now. Over.

Mauler one: Shut it kid and clear the Comms. Knight two, this is Mauler. SITREP. Over.

Knight two: mauler, this is Knight two. The capo took a gauss round to the cockpit. We have rallied around. But we are still getting fire from hill 107. Over.

Mauler one: roger. We are moving to your LOC.

Knight two: No, Mauler. Hold your position. We have this.

Mauler one: Knight two, this is Mauler one. We are moving to your location. Out!

Dragoon one: hell of a lot of fire from across the ridge. Son of a bitch -'they're not giving up this real estate! Any chance of some arty?

Static

Skull Six: stand by, Knight two. We will make pick up. We are just behind you. Wait. Out.

Knight two: errr... roger that, Stone.

Skye Broadcasting Service, July 23, 3074

REPORTER: In a touching display today, Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner personally decorated half a dozen veterans of the recent conflict. In this field hospital just outside New Glasgow, his grace personally presented medals to wounded men and women.

"While, the Word of Blake struck at us, often razing our ability to produce war materials or raise crops - one thing they did not do was stop us from producing brave and courageous warrior", he said.

Chief among those decorated today, was Mercenary officer Colonel Sir Felix Alberto Cavalli, who had already been knighted by the Skye Province for his devotion during the FedCom Civil War.

Colonel Sir Felix took part in the entire Skye campaign, with his unit taking part in a crucial flanking movement In the battle's final hour. That action led to Devlin's Stone's assault on the enemy command centre, which effectively ended the campaign.Unfortunately, the diversion was quickly spotted by the Word and in the subsequent fighting, Colonel Sir Felix lost a leg in the brutal battle after a gauss rifle projectile struck his cockpit.Today, his grace presented him with the Honour Of Skye Medal.

Vision shifts to a hospital scene:

The Duke stands before a hospital bed. In the background it's chaos: white clad staff are mopping up blood, more blood is splattered across the walls.The duke is clad in his Lyran green uniform clustered with enough medals to form a type of body armour.In the bed before him lays a man obviously on pain killers. He's dark haired and bearded, with a swarthy complexion.His left arm is metal and it, along with the crude metal replacement for his left leg - from the knee down - stand out starkly to his tanned skin and the crisp, white sheets.

Otherwise, his body is a mess of scar tissue and wounds: the left shoulder looks like old minced meat someone spat out several times, a scar runs from his left eye to his jaw, one more runs from his throat to his right nipple, another cuts across his belly. The right hand carries new scars: a dark, purple scar across the knuckles and when he turns the hand over, another two still healing injuries bisect the palm. There's a mass of gauze and bandages where his thumb used to be.

"Soldier, I'd like to give you my heartiest thanks and congratulations!"

Logged

"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

Made from a dull, flesh-colored plastic these limbs are shaped and designed to operate like the originals. * snip * A person with a type three leg is able to run as normal, though not if both legs are replaced.

If so, I'd upgrade to an Enhanced Prosthetic-Type Three: Prosthesis as soon as possible equipped with a Vibro-Blade boot-style!

But that's just me...

TT

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Khan,Clan Iron DolphinAzeroth PocketverseThat is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units. ~ Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013TT, we know you are the master of nasty O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force. I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid ~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016

Khan,Clan Iron DolphinAzeroth PocketverseThat is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units. ~ Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013TT, we know you are the master of nasty O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force. I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid ~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016

So, we will eventually make our way to Tikonov where we'll face a mix of Protectorate Militia and occasionally elite 1st Division troops.Just trying to get together a new to&e and work up a couple scenarios.

Logged

"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

Khan,Clan Iron DolphinAzeroth PocketverseThat is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units. ~ Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013TT, we know you are the master of nasty O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force. I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid ~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016

Nah each part they blast off will make him assimilate more and more in to the perfect cold blooded killing machine. But Word of Blake will learn, "resistance is futile" to Felix

Logged

"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

"Of what use is a dream, if not a blueprint for courageous action" -Adam WestIt's an Omni, so I can build it into whatever I please - JHB"Life is too short to be living someone else's dream" - Hugh Hefner

Captain Piotr Novakowski snappily returned the sentry's salute with a smile."Busy night, Steve?"The sentry shook his head as he eased his bulk back into his chair positioned behind a row of flickering monitors."No sir, just the same - although that cold is playing havoc with me joints," he said.The officer grunted: "Same with our sensors. The bloody wind keeps knocking sensors offline and we spend half the time resetting them."Taking in his reflection in the glass door of the Tikonov Protectorate Militia's headquarters building, Novakowski ran a critical eye over his dark grey duty uniform - peaked cap sitting at a slightly rakish angle, the two rows of decorations perfectly straight and dark pants bloused into boots buffed to a mirror shine.

"Heading home to the wife, sir?" The sentry asked, shooting a glance to the large digital clock display above his station.It read 0108. Satisfied with his reflection, the handsome captain ran a hand over his bearded jaw and shook his head."No, I'm going to grab a bite to eat and then wander home. These damn shifts make it just about impossible to see her."

With a final nod to the enlisted man, Novakowski left the building. The streets were dark, lit only by a handful of LED strips rigged up on building sides and traffic was almost nil as he crossed the road and headed deeper into the city. The surrounds changed quickly from steel and stone of the military enclave to garish graffiti, paper lanterns fluttering in the breeze and lurid electronic advertisements for bars and other pleasures.An occasional stone guardian lion sat out incongruously in front of towering apartment blocks or run down department stores.

The darkened street he was wandering down was briefly lit up with false daylight as a pair of Nightshade VTOLs zoomed by, their rotary blades kicking up little tornadoes of rubbish and dirt. If you managed to squint past the harsh searchlights you could just make out the broadsword and planet symbol of the Protectorate Militia.

She found him about an hour later in a noodle shop that seemed to delight in forcing you to eat in almost total darkness. He was on his third beer."Looking for some fun, baby?"He glanced back over his shoulder and took her in: all five-one of her - meaning she barely came up to his chin, even while he was sitting.Her dark hair was piled up in a messy style affixed with a chopstick and she'd used something like kohl to show off her big almond eyes.The cutaway mock-spacer's jumpsuit didn't do much to cover her up, only hugging her tiny frame and drawing the eye to her biggest assets."That depends," the Militia officer said, taking a swig of beer. "How much?""Only your heart and soul, sweetheart."

Every time a dropship took off from the sprawling Earthwerks plant nearby, the entire motel room shuddered, stark light briefly exploding through the askew blinds and illuminating everything in garish colour."How do you know they don't know you took it?" Linda asked, taking a long drag on her cigarette.She was sitting up and had initially gathered the cheap print covers up around her neck but had lately let them fall away to reveal she was naked.Novakowski was dressing hurriedly nearby. He'd managed to get his pants half on and was stumbling around trying to find his boots."Because I ordered a full reboot of the system - I'm just a concerned watch commander ensuring everything us up to scratch," he said."So, for close to 15 minutes while half of the system is offline and everyone is running out for a quick piss or coffee break, I was able to copy everything we need."He'd finally found his boots under the bed and finished drinking.

Linda had finished smoking and was now looking sulky. "Are you sure you were safe?"She looked up suddenly in alarm as Novakowski leap into the bed on all fours - the ancient and cheap plastic groaning in protest as he crawled toward her."You know I was," he said. He grabbed her roughly by the chin and drew her in tight, their foreheads touching before leaning down to kiss her long and deep."I'm just a Militia officer who knocked off his watch on time and headed into the seedy heart of the city afterwards for some fun. Nothing more."But the information on that data wafer, " he said, nodding towards the bedside table where the tiny electronic disc sat, "that information has the power to bring down the entire EarthWerks plant's defences."Linda smiled. "And then we can kick those bastards off our home."

"STEADY! Steady! Squad leaders, dress your troops. Keep it steady!"The flames rolled across the pavement, turning the inky black alive with dancing colours.Each of the Protectorate Militia Nighthawk suits were immune to the effects of the Molotov cocktails that had just come whistling from the baying crowd of rioters - but that didn't stop the troopers inside from breaking formation on pure survival instinct.Or in one case, raising an arm to ward off the flying projectile as it shattered on impact against his armoured carapace, sending oily flames licking along his side.

"Here they come lads!"

Sensing weakness, the crowd had grown brave - several were charging forward At the Militia suits.The bulk kept back just across the road from the EarthWerks site, a cluster of faceless protesters armed with signs... and who knew what else."Lawrence, traq yours," the platoon Sergeant's voice barked. "Schultz, move up and help"One of the Nighthawks unholstered his tranq pistol - each one tonne suit could easily heft a heavy machine gun one handed. Ironically, all of them carried nothing more threatening than tranquilliser pistols tonight.The pistol coughed four times and three of the charging protesters dropped instantly. A fourth managed to keep running, before falling into the arms of the waiting Nighthawk.

"New kid! Your one is in to close - drop him!"

One attacker had broken through the cordon and charged towards a suit, machete held high over his head in both hands. Screaming he pelted forward.The trooper waited until the last second, hunkering down slightly he then sprang forward as the giant blade descended - one armoured hand grabbing an ankle, while e other casually touched the torso and flicked.The rioter somersaulted overhead, landing with a sickening crunch on the ground."Good work kid!"

VOICE OF TRUTH BROADCAST AUGUST 1, 3074 Tikonov metro edition

Following a wave of insurrection and violence carried out by terrorists, Word of Blake planetary governor Precentor Robert Havsy has implemented tough new curfews and counter terror laws for our own safety.From today a 2300 curfew is in effect in all of Tikonov's cities, additionally police and Protectorate Militia will have new "stop and search laws" and the right to hold prisoners without charge for up to a month.The new legislation was voted through Tikonov's parliament this morning unanimously, with the Tikonov Labour Party and Citizens for Tikonov shamelessly boycotting the vote."It's unfortunate that we have been forced to resort to these measures - I have always tried to run Tikonov with a fair and balanced hand," Precentor Havsy told reporters this afternoon."This planet has suffered from a wave of terrorism that has done little but harm innocent civilians and bring us to a halt. This ends now."The sweeping new laws following a string of heinous crimes carried out terrorists, claiming to be acting for the Capellan state.Last night a mob attacked Protectorate Militia outside the main EarthWerks plants, killing two soldiers, while earlier this week a bombing killed six civilians and injured 19.Elements of the 1st Division Word of Blake Militia have now taken up key positions across the planet to back up Protectorate troops.In related news, security forces tonight took 2000 citizens, including trade unionists, members of various clergy, politicians and business leaders into protective custody for their own safety.

And next up, all the goss from last night's red carpet event!

Logged

"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

So, here's out TO&E going into the September, 3074 campaign on Tikonov. Not much has changed apart from some new rides and reorganising.

While the unit continues it slate grey and maroon paint scheme, Cavalli has taken to painting his Marauder II in an off white similar to the Blakist Militia, picked out in black. However, the white coat is streaked slightly dark, slate grey suggesting a worn out or decaying appearance. The Mech's left arm and left leg are picked out in a glossy coat, slightly metallic.Each torso of the hulking mech depict a shattered Blakist broadsword, the pointed end impaling a figure in a hooded, Adept's robe.

Khan,Clan Iron DolphinAzeroth PocketverseThat is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units. ~ Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013TT, we know you are the master of nasty O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force. I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid ~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016

"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

The resistance to Blakist rule on Tikonov can be seen as not just a battle against an occupying Invader, but a battle of class and race.During the early days of the Jihad, the Word managed to take the economic and industrial powerhouse with relative ease - but it was during its occupation that it failed.Tikonov had long been a hotspot of friction between local revolutionaries seeking independence, Capellan and Federated Suns interests.Exploiting a growing distrust of all things Capellan and their Free Tikonov Revolution followers among the planet's upper crust, the Word easily appointed an anti-Capellan quisling government and Militia.These collaborators were drawn mainly from Tikonov's more affluent Polish and Russian families who had suffered under Capellan rule in the wake of Xin Sheng.In contrast, the pro-Liao rebellion was mainly drawn from poorer, blue colour inhabitants with Central Asian and Asian roots.Skilled use of propaganda and media manipulation whipped up a planet-wide fear of all things Capellan the Blakists easily exploited.

This is not to say the Blakist rule was unchallenged. Rebel forces resisted the Word for its entire occupation, carrying out an irregular and later outright conventional campaign against the government The anti-Blakist rebel movement styled itself as the legitimate Tikonov government in exile, complete with an exiled President, cabinet and support staff. IronicLy, as these pro-Capellan rebels gained traction and territory (some parts of Tikonov's northern continent were always considered no go areas for Word troops, despite almost constant fighting) House Liao on distant Sian became increasingly suspicious of it.

A stunning series of successes that eventually saw the partial destruction of several Battlemech factories in late 3074 was the last real contact rebels had with Capellan high command. By 3075 Sian had become convinced the rebels were fostering their own ends and unofficially cut support.While the Chancellor praised their efforts in toppling the Word government that year, he didn't bother to send any additional support to the distant war zone. Nor did he bother to try and eject a Davion recon force that landed that year.

This made Tikonov a prime target for Stone as the Jihad wound down. Former pro-Capellans found a new hero in Devlin Stone and increasingly embraced him. While much of the old guard still supported Sian, the Capellans' growing hostility and outright aggression, including acts of terrorism throughout 3080-81 saw pro-Republic fever take over, with Tikonov eventually becoming part of the Republic of the Sphere.

- except from The Jihad: Social Responsibility and Awareness, Western Sydney University Press, Terra, 3095

We are coming in covertly, disguised as a 1st Division Level III returning from Caph. Which is good because, there's a hell of a lot of hardware in system - pocket warships, fighters and some sort of sprawling base on one of the moons.Here's hoping the IFF and codes the Cappies purchased hold up.In about 20 hours we'll come right down on top of a Protectorate Militia depot the rebels have been desperate to crack for years.We are supposed to meet up with the contact after that.- Felix Cavalli

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"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

So, these boys have been charging along for just over a year now - or 16 years in game!

What's next? I've tentatively mapped out the movements until about late 3076, with Cavalli taking more and more Stone contracts.But I looked at what I'd sketched out next and it's got mw thinking...

Initially I'd slated them for Tamirad and helping hold back the raiding Federation, and even taking part in the joint Lyran-Duchy counter attack.But looking back I realised we are still technically in breach of contract with the Duchy from back in 3071!So - change to something else? Or maybe have Felix smooth things out with the Duchess Marik?

Logged

"Hold your position, conserve ammo... and wait for the Dragoons to go Feral"- last words of unknown merc, Harlech, 3067

So, these boys have been charging along for just over a year now - or 16 years in game!

What's next? I've tentatively mapped out the movements until about late 3076, with Cavalli taking more and more Stone contracts.But I looked at what I'd sketched out next and it's got mw thinking...

Initially I'd slated them for Tamirad and helping hold back the raiding Federation, and even taking part in the joint Lyran-Duchy counter attack.But looking back I realised we are still technically in breach of contract with the Duchy from back in 3071!So - change to something else? Or maybe have Felix smooth things out with the Duchess Marik?

I think the big issue is how dire was the contract breach? Failure to fill in the right forms bad or burned villages to the ground bad?

Logged

Author of BattleCorps stories Grand Theft Agro and Zero Signal

Whenever you use terms like 'fiat' or 'stupid pills', you render your argument invalid